I got kicked out of a restaurant for asking for extra pasta. We waited aaages for food and the main course arrived about 10 mins before the side dishes. And my main was about 6 pasta shells - piddly amount. I asked quite nicely for more pasta and they threw all 6 of us out !

Went to a pub in Winchester once. We arrived at 7.30 p.m. only to be told we would have to wait as the chef was on his meal break!! When the food arrived we rather wished he had stayed on it. One of my fellow diners when asked was his meal o.k. replied 'It was the worst meal I've ever had'. Reply 'Well you ate it.''

Worst is easy. We were a group of four girls going for a meal in Stockton Heath in Warrington and we'd booked a table at Piccolinos. When we got there it was set for six but we thought nothing of it and started our (substandard) meal. Cold soup, hair in one of them and a rock hard roll were just the start.
About ten minutes in, a couple of young lads came in and the waiter ushered them to our table! I was stunned, everyone looked at ME to speak up and so I had a word with the head waiter about why he thought we'd want to share our table with strangers without being consulted. He looked surprised, informed me 'we all had seats' and suggested that perhaps I didn't eat out very often! I was fucking furious.
These lads hit on us immediately and I was really irritated. We had come out on a girls only night out without our men and now we were being forced into a hideous situation, which worsened when they lit CIGARETTES while we were still eating and said 'you don't mind do you'? (Just before the smoking ban)

I went skyward, asked to speak to the manager and created a massive scene. He threatened to call the police so I handed him my phone. I was looking for the hidden cameras but sadly it was real.

I didn't pay the bill. I left the restaurant and never went back. Facebook wasn't as popular then as it is now and I couldn't rubbish it as easily as I can now. I did write a letter of complaint to the head office. Got no response. The food was shit, the staff were rude and I hope nobody eats there again. And now I've named and shamed and I feel a LOT better

I am a reasonably good cook, and I expect food that I pay someone else to cook to be at least as nice as my cooking. I get very unhappy if it isn't but don't tend to complain - which I should!

People have very different ideas of what is good, though. I had a completely shit meal on an aircraft - a bit of meat that could have been the sole of the captain's shoe in gravy. As we got off the plane, a couple of other passengers were saying "wasn't that food nice?....."

I've had some very nice meals in France - particulary in the Tour d'Argent in Paris. That was a one-off, for a special occasion

After the Abingdon Marathon on Sunday, the group I'd run with (actually, who ran way up ahead of me, in the main) went to Curry Royal in Wimbledon. Quite possibly the best curry restaurant I've been to - and, no, I don't work for them or hold shares.

My kids like Harvesters. They are actually excellent value and the food's not too bad - which makes them a good lifeline if you have to buy for four or more each time and have limited funds. However, we went to one near Christchurch in Dorset and someone with a medical condition collapsed at their table and needed extensive medical treatment by an ambulance crew. Which rather put everyone off their meals, though it was nothing to do with the food. I think.

Worst place I've ever eaten was a pub in Sherborne near the train station, its no longer there and I'm not surprised.We'd just moved from Portsmouth and spent the day unpacking so didn't feel like cooking. The pub was right opposite.When we arrived there were no other customers and so we sat down and ordered. About half an hour later one of the staff came over to us to recheck what we'd ordered. 30 minutes later they brought the food out, just before we were about to leave. My pasta dish was just about lukewarm, my partner turned around to the waitress when she put her gammon down and said "Funny pineapple" while pointing at the egg on her plate. When the waitress asked what she meant we showed her the menu which said gammon and pineapple and made no mention of egg.

Best ones I've eaten at have been where the food is well cooked, the staff are friendly and curteous and if they do make a mistake they own up to it and do everything they can to make up for it (ending up with two bottles of wine after they brought us the wrong one was the best example of that I've had).

The worst place was a bonkers restaurant at a hotel in Snowdonia. The food was just about edible (maybe that was because we'd been running up Snowdon earlier in the day and would have eaten anything!) the rest of the experience was like being in a Fawlty Towers episode. In fairness, I think the owners knew the place was awful and just went along with it. I've never laughed so much during or after a meal.

They are definitely missing a trick, they should just market the place as a Fawlty Towers experience and then would probably have much happier customers!

Worst meal ever was at the Sheffield United ground function suite a couple of Christmas's ago. I'm vegan and of course had pre ordered a vegan meal. The starter was tepid vegetable soup. When I asked if it was vegan I was told in a surly manner 'it's vegetable'. so I explained why it might not be vegan and after consultaion with the 'chef' was told 'it sould be alright'. While the rest of the people on my table were tucking into their turkey I waited and waited for my meal- a pile of soggy, microwaved, veg (like the type you get frozen in bags) topped with a thick, gloopy chip shop style curry sauce. When I complained I was offered a bottle of wine for the table. I was driving that night so wasn't impressed that I'd had a terrible meal and my freinds who'd had a reasonable meal were going to get wine!

I don't eat out often- most places find it impossible to provide a decent vegan meal, even when given some notice- it's not that difficult really

The thing is though, people can't be bothered making the effort. I am allergic to milk and nuts. People look at me like I'm just being a pain in the arse. I regularly find people beaming that they've catered for me when they offer me fruit for my starter, a plain piece of meat and vegetables for my main course and a fruit salad for a pudding. I HATE fruit salad and if I had fruit to begin with why do I need it again? Nobody is given soup for pud are they? :-/

I think it's quite difficult these days to find a really bad restaurant. In general I prefer small family owned eateries - the food is fresher, better and well served by people you can engage with.

Even the chains Ask, Prezzos, Cafe Rouge etc are pretty good with imaginative and varied menus. I'm quite happy to tip as I recognise that restaurant staff work rotten hours and are poorly paid - always make a point of tipping in cash as that way the staff get to keep more of what I donate to them.

For me, eating out is a real pleasure, and I'm very lucky to live less than 50 yards from the best restaurant I've ever eaten in (Thai).

LB That's sad re piccolinos Stockton Heath; we ate there a few years ago, mrs p had an interview in Warrington and we stopped on the way back. It was a great meal.

One of the worst meals ever was Living Room on Chester, Christmas a few years ago, there was birdshit on the bottle my drink came in and we didn't get any vegetables with the meal until we'd finished the dessert.

And Duffy the singer was a waitress in Chester, she completely forgot to pass our lunch order to the kitchen in the restaurant she worked in before becoming famous. We sat there for forty minutes and then had to go.

I go to Piccolino in Stockton Heath regularly, admittedly not by choice, normally I take guests from work, but have to say I find it very good, service is always great and food is reasonable and cheap. For a family meal I might not use it, but it's always been very good.

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